


just write

by sweaterwearinlesbian



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms
Genre: I wrote this in 2015, M/M, a darker yet simpler time, i didn't edit this at all!, idk man the plot is fuzzy, mello is a sex worker i guess?, mello writes!, this is gay, three years ago me was kinda dark and also kinda stupid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 04:25:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15502266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweaterwearinlesbian/pseuds/sweaterwearinlesbian
Summary: Mello and Matt coexist as roommates but before that, they never knew each other. When Mello comes home injured, their lives change, but is it for better or for worse?





	just write

**Author's Note:**

> i didn't edit any of this haha it's old as shit anyways

Matts roommate was a hooker. It was obvious despite Mello's constant stream of profanity stating otherwise. What the hell else would Matt think? He constantly wore too-right leather, left in the early evening and didn't return until the morning, and he smelled like smoke and desperation.

Of course Matt smelled like smoke too but that was because Mello made him so anxious that he started to chain smoke. He had (somewhere along the way) fallen in love with this beautiful asshat of a roommate and worried constantly about when his job would get him hit or hurt.

Then the day came that it happened. Mello came home with a black eye and bruises on his neck that looked suspiciously like fingers. Matt didn't say a word until Mello tried to talk normally, like he didn't just come home beaten up by a client. "No. Mello you are not doing this. Sit down on the damned couch and if you try to speak I'll call into your damn hooker club and tell them you quit and detail exactly what happened to you." For once he had rendered the blonde speechless (not that he could speak but whatever). 

Matt went and got some cold wet rags and plastered them onto the spots where Mello was injured. He got an injured glare in return. Mello pulled a notepad off of the counter and furiously scribbled onto it in his beautiful cursive.

Why the hell do you care?

"I care because you're hurt and you're my roommate." Mello scribbled again.

So? I'm a gay hooker. Surely a straight guy such as yourself would have something to say about that. Especially given my most recent clients kinks. 

Matt shrugged. "I don't give a flying fuck Mels. You're gay, I'm bi, what does it matter? You're hurt and I care about you, despite that foul mouth." Mello glared again. Matt was starting to find it cute.

You're rude. There's nothing wrong with a few swears here and there. You're bi? 

"Yeah. Only one guy that I've been with. Crushed on a couple though. It's mainly girls for me but I have a specific type in men."

Mello raised an eyebrow. A type?

"Yes you dolt a type. Usually guys like me. Pretty and too awkward to function." Mello rolled his eyes but didn't inquire further. 

Matt shrugged and left Mello to stew. Matt played video games until three in the morning. Then a soft rasping voice caught his attention.

"Matt?" Matt looked up from his game after willingly letting Mario die. Mello was never home this early.

"What is it Mels?" 

"I quit my job." Matt was shocked but he quickly recovered.

"Why? Aside from today nothing bad has ever happened."

"The same client came back and requested me. He said he was turned on by my screams. I quit on the spot and walked out." Matt was speechless. 

"Mels... What are you going to do?" He shrugged.

"I have a good amount saved, I can pay my half of the rent until I get hired somewhere else. Maybe I'll just do stripping at this club down the road. They don't usually do hookers so I shouldn't have to deal with anyone like him again." Matt was wordless.

"What about writing?" Matt didn't know where it came from but he saw Mellos scribbles left on notepads. He was good at writing. Really good.

"What do you mean?" 

"I've seen all your little short stories. You write them on the notepad I make grocery lists on." Mello was stunned.

"I- you think they're good? They're based on one of my teachers usually. He was my first love. Of course it wasn't mutual but he inspired almost all of my male characters. Except for two of them. They were based on my teacher's husband and my rival. I hated that little punk but I suppose he went to higher places than I did."

"Don't say that. You've still got places to go." Mello shrugged.

"I'll write something and submit it to a couple publishers. If I don't get accepted before my savings run out I'll go to the club deal?" Matt nodded and Mello made to leave. 

"Mels!" Mello turned around. "Drink a shit ton of water. You sound like me." Mello cracked a smile and left.

The next morning Mello was typing away on a laptop Matt had never seen before. He had always assumed that his (badass) PC was the only computer in their apartment. And yet here Mello was, typing away on a pretty decent laptop. "Hey. Have you eaten?" Mello waved and shook his head. "I'll make some eggs." 

When Matt returned he tried to read over Mels shoulder but he was blocked. "You're not allowed to read this unless a publisher picks it up." Matt put his hands up.

"Deal. But I get to read it before it's published okay?" Mello nodded, shoveling eggs into his mouth. 

They continued on like this for a couple of months. Matt would cook and work his shift in GameStop while Mello wrote. Matt would get periodic updates on how much was written.

"I broke a hundred pages today Matt." Mello was grinning so happily Matt couldn't help but fistbump him. 

"Hell yeah! How close are you?" Mello shrugged.

"About halfway but I don't know for sure. There are a couple more things that need to happen before the end." Matt nodded. Tonight he'd have to transfer some of his money into Mels account. This would be the first time he left the money in there. With luck Mello would believe that it was a bank error, if he even noticed.

"How much does the publisher want?" 

"Three chapters for a read over, to see if I get a contract. Then if I get a contract they want the whole book done at a specific time. Thing is I'm an overachiever. I want the whole book to be done before we sign a contract." Matt nodded. "Now I'm on a roll so the last bits shouldn't take as much time as the first bits. It's been a long time since I wrote something long and I needed to find my style again." Matt nodded like he knew what that meant.

"Good for you Mels."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first four publishing companies turned it down because it was too dark for their companies. Matt wondered what the hell Mello was writing. 

A fortnight later the fifth and final company wrote back. Mello was so nervous that Matt had to open the email. "To Mr Keehl. We regret to inform you that... YOU'VE BEEN SELECTED FOR A CONTRACT! Hi, I'm Jenni and I'm going to be your editor! Your work was exactly what we were looking for! It's beautifully written and we think it could be an adult bestseller! I'd like to meet up with you in our headquarters a week from today to discuss the terms of your contract. We're very flexible here, so don't worry too much about deadlines! Email me back with a convenient time and I'll schedule it. Thank you for choosing Shark Publishing!" Mello was near tears by the time Matt finished.

"Mattie I got accepted. They liked it."

"Of course they did. They'd be stupid not to." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week came and went and Mello signed a contract with Jenni a tall black woman who was as cheerful as her email suggested. Matt read over the contract and was surprised at how generous the salary was going to be. Apparently the company had had a few recently successful books and was willing to take a chance with a more mature author aka Mello Keehl. He was writing under a pseudonym Mihael Kilel, and the company was very willing to let that happen. 

Matt was so proud of Mello. Really it was wonderful that his friends life had turned around so wonderfully. 

Something in his gut told him it wouldn't last. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mello had gone out for the first time since he quit his job. Naturally he would run into the dick who strangled him. Naturally the guy would follow him home. Naturally he would get beaten up on the doorstep of his apartment on the one night Matt decided to leave the house. Mello just hoped to God that Matt would be home soon.

He was. Matt took care of him and called the police. They arrested the man for aggravated assault. The man tried to defend himself but he couldn't without admitting he had broken strict prostitution laws. Matt was very happy that he was behind bars. That would make him leave Mello alone. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With the paychecks from the publishing company, the two of them had been able to get some new stuff. A couch that wasn't lumpy, an actual set of dishes, and (their most recent purchase), a coffee table. Now Mello wouldn't need to set his coffee (or tea) on the ground or balance it precariously on his knees. It was quite nice living with actual things, and Matt had secretly hated their plastic plates that Mello had gotten a five hundred pack of.

Mello finished the book seven months after he started it. Two hundred pages had become four hundred and four hundred turned into a grand total of 562 pages. It was thick but Jenni was delighted. She said if it wasn't an instant bestseller she'd go and whallop the public over their idiotic heads. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mello finally let Matt read the novel a week before it went on the shelves. Jenni had let him take home the first copy and Mello had had to make good on his end of their little deal.

It was even better than Matt had been expecting. The book opened with the main character becoming an orphan. This was par for the course in making a character troubled but it would mentally scar even the reader. In Mellos story, the main character (called Xavier) watched as his mother and father were strangled to death. In a frantic plea for help he called the police who arrived just as he was dying. The boy woke up in the hospital an orphan. 

The story went on through the boys life. At seven he got selected to be a part of an elite school that trained genii to be the Worlds Greatest Three Detective. Xavier (now called V), only ever placed second in the tests to be the Detectives successor. In his way stood N, the stoic albino. 

Then, when V was sixteen, his mentor was killed by a serial killer known as KR. N was chosen as his successor. In a fit of rage and jealousy, V fled to the US. His roommate from school, J, followed him. 

Together, the pair worked to take down KR, who turned out to also be the killer of Vs family.

Somewhere along the way V realized he was in love with J.

Somewhere along the way J fell in love with V. 

KR killed J.

After defeating KR, V killed himself after struggling to find a purpose in life after the death of his only friend (and lover for they had lots of sex (Matt assumed Mello drew from his work)) and the death of both N and KR. 

On the last page of the novel it was revealed that KR was the split personality of Vs mentors husband. 

Matt cried. It was tragic and dark and psychologically challenging and beautiful. It would be a bestseller. 

Matt told Mello this and was rewarded with a surprising hug. "Read the about the author." Matt did.

Mihael Kilel is known firstly for his gorgeous hair and secondly for his temper. He hates romance and yet managed to write a compelling story including romance. He hates violence and yet made his characters all extremely violent. He loves swearing and yet included not nearly as much as he should've. He does not wish to disclose where he lives.

Matt was speechless. Mello was truly an enigma. Even if his books didn't gather much attention it would sell because of that damned author's note, and the cryptic blurb. 

V want KR to die. V also wants J to live. This just got complicated. 

Matt didn't know what to do. So he acted on impulse and kisses Mello.

Mello kissed him back. 

Somewhere along the way they dropped off a few unwanted items such as a book and their clothes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Somehow Matt gets to be on top.

Somehow Mello gets Matt addicted to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nothing really changes between them. Except that Matt can kiss Mello when he likes and Mello can tell Matt about how his book was based on events in his life.

Mello was born in Russia, his family shipped him away when he was seven to a school for genii. He really did place second all the time but none of it was for the detective spot. He really did think that his mentor's husband was a mass murderer. And he really did love Matt.

**Author's Note:**

> soo if you didn't read the tags past "mello writes!" i wrote this three years ago after reading Another Note (LABB murder case, the bible of Naomi stans). it's....bad. one of the worst fics i've written but it's also something dear to my heart? i love my old writing style, it actually made sense. some of the things in here aren't really very kind and i just want to say that 2015 me was an idiot who def didn't respect sex workers but i do now! if y'all are reading this ily! how i wrote mello's initial job was crass and rude and totally inappropriate and the point i'm trying to make is don't take this at face value && we've all thought / wrote things that were based on bad fanfiction (back in ye ol days we read on ffnet and smut was called lemon). sorry for the bad opinions expressed in this sorry for rambling, have a lovely 24 hr period! 
> 
> tumblr - sweaterwearinlesbian (main), my-thunderstruck-dn-obsession (dn sideblog)


End file.
